Applicators for delivering materials into a body cavity typically comprise a tubular insertion member having an insertion end and a gripper end opposite thereof, and an elongate expulsion member slidably fitted within the tubular insertion member for expelling the contained materials. The gripper end will generally incorporate features to allow a user to more or less securely hold the applicator during use, which includes the following steps: inserting the applicator into a body cavity, expelling a substantially enclosed material contained by the applicator, and withdrawing the applicator from the body.
Over the years, attempts have been made to improve the gripping features. One approach is to significantly reduce the diameter of the applicator in the gripper end. While a reduced diameter grip may help in preventing fingers from slipping during insertion, there is little or no resistance offered in the opposite direction of the insertion direction during the expulsion step. This is a step with which many users have difficulty.
Another approach to improve the grip of the applicator during use is to incorporate projections, such as in the form of a ring, at the base of the applicator member being inserted into the body. Similar to the disadvantage of applicators employing a reduced diameter in the gripping end, projections typically provide only a single direction of resistance.
While many have tried to design and manufacture tampon applicators having these improved qualities, there still remains a need for a tampon applicator that has gripping features that provide limited resistance to finger slip during the insertion and the expulsion of the tampon applicator.